The goal of the APA in NYC is that matches are concluded within 4 hours. Circumstances may often require a little more time, but not much more.

The following rules shall apply to all teams in APAnyc. All teams are expected and encourage to embrace these rules and understand that they are designed to enhance the league experience, not hinder it in any way. Those who resist these guidelines and insult their opponents for their adherence will be strongly disciplined and penalized with points and/or suspensions.

START TIME - Start time is the published start time, and not 15 or 20 minutes later. For a 7pm start time, the coin toss should be done at 6:55 and the match should start at 7 sharp. There is a grace period allowed if no one from a team is present at start time. The grace period is 15 minutes and the match must start within that time if even one player is present.

RECORD START AND END TIME OF EACH MATCH - Use the fees section on the bottom left corner of the scoresheet to neatly record the start and end times of each match. The goal is 45 minutes or less for matches lasting six games or less, and 60 minutes or less for matches lasting more than six games.

BE READY FOR THE NEXT MATCH - Teams must plan for an upcoming match before a current match is finished. If you are expected to play next, have your cue ready and be ready to play right away. The team that puts up has 30 seconds following a win or loss to declare the next player and the other team has 60 seconds to declare an opponent. Failure to adhere to that is a sportsmanship violation and will be recorded on the sheet and on a team’s record.

SHORT COACHES ARE MANDATORY - A player may only call for a time-out during the first 15 seconds of a turn. After that the player must shoot within the allotted time. The same would apply to the next shot, and so on until the allotted time-outs for the game are used up. All time-outs should be timed by both teams and after 60 seconds the time-out is over. If the time-out is not ended by 60 seconds the turn is forfeited. After the time-out the player must shoot right away. Group coaching is no longer allowed. A different coach is still permissible for each time out.

EXCESSIVE THINKING - Players must think quickly and shoot a shot every 30-40 seconds, or less. A particularly hard shot can take a little longer but the player MUST make up that time on successive shots.

NO MATCH OVER 1 HOUR - An average individual game should last 6 minutes for higher ranked players and 10 minutes for lower ranked players and somewhere in between for a match with both.

If a match goes over 1 hour, both scorekeepers will have to engage the SHOT CLOCK for the remainder of the match. Under the shot clock, each player must shoot within 40 seconds. A 10 second warning should be given at the 30 second mark. At this time, and during any shot-clock situation, the two score/time keepers should sit together and enforce the rules in a cooperative manner. Both captain must ensure that this is done, in an efficient and cooperative manner.

5TH MATCH MUST START BY 10:30 ON WEEKNIGHTS - If all the guidelines above are followed then the 5th match will always start before 10:30 pm and the whole match will end before 11:30.

This is our new goal. Please help to make this a reality. CAPTAINS, AND SLOW PLAYERS, WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.

Team captains will be held responsible for educating their players regarding the need for playing matches that flow at a responsible and enjoyable pace.

We will ask all teams to report players and teams that are typical offenders of the problems listed and these individuals/teams will be warned, docked PENALTY POINTS, and possibly suspended for deliberate disregard of their opponents’ enjoyment.

Captains and players who deliberately ignore requests to play properly and insult people who want matches follow the FastPlay rules will be penalized the most. Unsportsmanlike conduct in this regard will not be tolerated.